The popularity of manhwa as a medium has surged in recent years, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down as its accessibility increases. One prevalent theme among modern manhwa is the incorporation of tower climbing. While there are numerous available tower climbing manhwa, some are simply not as good as others.
As the name implies, the trope revolves around climbing a mystical tower, which is often referred to as simply The Tower. The structure comes in multiple levels, sometimes exceeding 100 floors. While the outer appearance may seem rather limited, each floor is often a vast new world or dimension. Conquering The Tower often leads to power acquisition or a means to salvation, and these ten manhwa execute this trope to perfection.
Tower of God
Tower of Godbegins with Bam, a young man who has lived his entire life in the darkness of a cave. His world changes dramatically when his closest friend, Rachel, enters the mysterious tower. In this manhwa, the Tower promises unimaginable rewards to those who can reach the top. Determined to follow Rachel, Bam enters the tower and discovers a realm where every floor is a new world filled with deadly trials and formidable opponents.
When talking about tower climbing manhwa,Tower of Godcannot be overlooked. After all, it inspires many other manhwa to utilize the trope.
Tower of Godcan be read viaWebtoonand alsohas an animated adaptation.
The Tutorial Is Too Tough
Lee Hojae is a former professional gamer who now lives life in monotony. However, this changes when a mysterious system prompt tells him he is one of the few invited to the Tutorial World. He accepts the invitation and, when presented with the choice, chooses Hell Mode. Unknown to him, Hell Mode more than lives up to its name. Hojae must then use everything in his arsenal to survive the hellish trials and get out of the tower.
Hojae is one who prioritizes preparation above anything else. Knowing that each trial is not only deadly but incredibly hard, he enhances himself in any way possible. He acquires as much knowledge, skills, and items before starting the next stage. This whole process, however, can be quite lengthy, makingThe Tutorial Is Too Tougha slow-burn manhwa. Nonetheless, the lengthy process simply makes the payoff more gratifying.
The Tutorial Is Too Toughis available onTapas.
Level Up with the Gods
After conquering the Tower, Yuwon Kim and Co. realize that the challenge is far from over. He and the Inner Gods face a crushing defeat against the Outer Gods. However, they still have a sliver of hope left. Kronos sacrifices himself to send Yuwon back in time. His mission is to change the situation within the Tower and alter their dire future.
Level Up with the Godsis the tower-climbing manhwa that utilizes the trope very well. It incorporates real-world mythos into its narrative, with each pantheon lording over certain floors. By using already established worlds, it gets more time to develop the characters and their relationships, build the world, and further its plot.
Level Up with the Godsis onTapas.
SSS-Class Revival Hunter
InSSS-Class Revival Hunter, the main character, Confucius Kim, awakens rather late. The skill he acquired allows him to copy other people’s skills, but there’s a catch. He can only copy the skill of someone who killed him, making it a rather useless ability — or so he thought. When the number one hunter killed him on a whim, he acquired the ability that perfectly complemented his skill — traveling back in time upon death.
SSS-CLass Revival Huntermay have a very generic name, but such an assumption does not give this manhwa justice. Each floor in the Tower is actually an entirely new setting in this manhwa, and it doesn’t simply gloss over it. It expounds on each setting, making every arc a different experience.
You can readSSS-Class Revival HunteronTapas.
The Frozen Player Returns
Seo Junho and his friends have finally defeated the frost queen, albeit at their own expense. At least, that’s what they’ve thought. After being frozen for two and a half decades, Junho thaws out and realizes the trials are still not over. Nine new floors have appeared, and only one has been conquered. Not only that, he also obtains a new companion — the frost queen herself. Now, he sets out to thaw his friends and finish the task.
In this manhwa, the main character is practically doing a New Game+. He starts back from the beginning, though he retains some of his old skills. However, he must regain his trusty companions while also trying to outplay his old nemeses. That being said, it’s a really entertaining read.
The Frozen Player Returnscan be read onTapas.
The Overpowered Newbie
The Overpowered Newbiefollows the story of Kim Jaeju. Due to a desperate need for money, he turns to conquering the Tower as a get-rich-fast scheme. However, the task proved to be harder than he thought. That is until he receives a bunch of videos showing his future self clearing the tower. Armed with his newfound knowledge, Jaeju follows in his future self’s footsteps.
Other than the tower climbing aspect,The Overpowered Newbiealso incorporates streaming into its narrative. In order to gain resources, players on the higher floors can stream and support those on the lower floors. Since Jaeju rarely takes himself seriously, he becomes a successful streamer due to his quirky antics.
As such,The Overpowered Newbieis perfect for a light-hearted reading session.
Second Life Ranker
Despite its title,Second Life Rankerdoes not feature reincarnation or regression. Instead, it’s a gritty revenge story of a grieving brother. It does, however, feature a lot of power-ups and epic battles.
The story follows Cha Yeonwoo. After browsing through his late brother’s belongings, he discovers that his death is due to betrayal. Not only that, everything occurred in another world. Yeonwoo then goes to that world to be his brother’s second coming, all the while seeking vengeance for those who betrayed his brother.
Second Life Rankercan be read onTapas.
The World After the Fall
Unlike the other tower-climbing manhwa,The World After the Fallfocuses on what happened after conquering the Tower. The first few episodes, however, do tell the protagonist’s grueling time in the Tower, so it still belongs to this list.
The story follows the stubborn Jaehwan. Despite being offered the chance to turn back time, he chooses to conquer the Tower on his original timeline. Even when everyone else except him has chosen to go, he continues to persist. When he eventually accomplishes the task, he learns that the Tower is only the beginning.
The World After the Fallcan be read onWebtoon.
I’m the Max-Level Newbie
Kang Jinhyeok is the only player who has completed the game Tower of Trials. Just as he is to end his 11-year hardship, the Tower of Trials appears in real life. To make things worse, the system warns that the world will end if a floor is cleared every 90 days. It’s now up to Jinhyeok to utilize his knowledge to gain an edge over his competitors and dominate the Tower.
I’m the Max-Level Newbiemay have a simple and typical premise, but it does execute it well. It does a good job of building Jinhyeok’s abilities while also delivering a fast-paced, action-packed narrative.
Webtoonhosts the English release of the manhwa.
The Player Who Can’t Level Up
When the mystical Tower suddenly appears in the world ofThe Player Who Can’t Level Up, some individuals also acquire supernatural abilities. They then become players. Kim Kigyu is one of those players. However, he can’t move more than level 1 no matter what he tries. After five years of working as a guide, Kigyu finally discovers his real ability — linking with Egos.
